Marketing products to a consumer and gaining repeat business has become more difficult as an increasing number of companies sacrifice innovation for financial stability by offering competing products having substantially similar features and specifications. Products designed to match the best product in a class often sell, but these products fail to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business because customers fail to distinguish one product from another. Today, differentiating a product, innovating, and engaging the customer on an emotional level are the keys to a successful marketing plan (Ealey, L. and L. Troyano-Bermudez, The McKinsey Quarterly, 1996 (4):62-75). Traditional “face-to-face, or “one-on-one” selling time with a buyer continues to decline in both quantity and quality. Without some constant reminder, and more particularly a reminder that draws attention to itself, the client may fail to recommend the product, or select it over a similar competing product when re-ordering.
In an effort to increase product awareness, businesses often use promotional items. The art of making and using promotional items is well established. It is a subset of general advertising and marketing in which a physical object, at times a sample of the actual product, rather than paper print advertising, is provided to a customer or a potential customer. These items typically include calendars, pens, magnets, caps, key chains and the like. However, items traditionally used are usually simple products that are only capable of marketing a product in a discreet manner. These gifts often provide little motivation for continued use by a client, thereby minimize their effectiveness as a marketing tool.
It is axiomatic that in the field of advertisement/marketing, perception is often reality. Thus, a novel promotional item may make an immediate, and indelible positive first impression, whereas the presentation of an ordinary, nondescript promotional item may actually foreclose future business opportunities. When a salesperson hands out something unique tied to a particular product, the product makes a biggest impact on the client. The most unique, practical and appealing promotional products will be the ones remembered and the ones most likely to increase customer goodwill, referral & repeat business. A client will likely be interested in receiving an eye-catching promotional item, particularly if it has a secondary function that enables its continued use. The most successful promotional products will be capable of establishing brand recognition by reinforcing a visual message, even when the consumer is not engaged in an activity normally associated with the products use. For example, a client may be inclined to display a unique promotional item having a separate utility on his or her desk for use. Through repeat use of the item, the client will be reminded of the underlying product, thereby increasing the likelihood of repeat business or referrals. The more original the promotional item, the more likely it will be remembered.
Some promotional articles have a secondary function in addition to the primary marketing function. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,390 (D. Saroli, Nov. 2, 1999) discloses a removable golf cart cushion that has a space for advertising and that also provides protection from a golf cart side rail, and also provides a holder function for golf accessories.
Some promotional items emulate the actual product being marketed. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,361 (M. L. Cohen, Sep. 26, 2000) discloses promotional mailing which includes inserts in an envelope, where the inserts have a promotional message and a simulated reward item. The simulated reward item simulates the actual item being promoted, and is at least partially displayed through a window in the envelope. This is said to provide an incentive to open the envelope. U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,157 (Hiscock and David, Dec. 12, 2000) discloses a promotional item in the shape of a suspended, enlarged replica of a beer bottle cap for use in bars and restaurants. The article houses a magnet which attracts bottle caps. The article has the dual utility of both marketing a product, and providing a place to temporarily store discarded bottle caps. Ideally, the interaction with the product will entice a consumer to purchase the brand name drink advertised on the article.
Some products are marketed in channels in which certain intermediate distributors are key to sales, for example physicians who have the authority to prescribe one pharmaceutical product over another having a similar effect. Here, lest the physician tire of the promotional item and dispose of it, a challenge exists to provide an interesting promotional item that will communicate the message of the product, and also provide secondary utility in the form of decoration, amusement, and/or a specific physical function.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned items, a need remains for promotional items that have both a marketing function and an educational function, and that are well suited for intermediate distributors such as physicians. Physicians are more likely to utilize promotional items, and in turn develop goodwill toward such items, if such items serve as a teaching aid to his/her patients.